KR20130092867A - Home subscriber management apparatus and method for processing change of charging information using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A home subscriber management apparatus and a rate system change processing method using the same are provided to forcibly separate the terminal of a corresponding subscriber from a core network and reconnect the terminal when a rate system is changed, thereby preventing collision between charging-related apparatuses. CONSTITUTION: A message generation part (104a) receives rate system change information of a subscriber. The message generation part generates a location deletion message to separate the terminal of the subscriber from a core network. A message transmission part (104b) transmits the location deletion message generated from the message generation part to a mobility management object. The message transmission part separates the terminal of the subscriber from the core network. The location deletion message includes reconnection request information to reconnect the terminal of the subscriber to the core network. [Reference numerals] (100) Terminal(UF); (104) Home subscriber management device; (104a) Message generation part; (104b) Message transmission part; (118) Subscriber information database; (AA) Internet(PDN)

Description

HOME SUBSCRIBER MANAGEMENT APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING CHANGE OF CHARGING INFORMATION USING THE SAME}

The present invention relates to a plan change processing in a mobile communication network, and more particularly, a home subscriber management device capable of preventing collision between billing nodes and a billing error when a plan is changed, and a plan change processing using the same. It is about a method.

A general mobile device can provide not only a general voice service but also a multimedia service such as a video. The so-called 3G (3G) mobile communication system supporting both voice service and packet service is packet service such as multimedia data to mobile communication terminal through interworking with IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) network and other networks. To provide.

Meanwhile, as the spread of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet PCs has increased, the explosive increase in data transmission can no longer be handled by conventional mobile communication methods, resulting in disconnection of smartphones and inability to access wireless Internet. . For this reason, 3GPP communication technology has been developed that improves data transmission speed while improving this in domestic and overseas mobile communication market.

In 3GPP Release 8, a Network Architecture called Evolved Packet Core (EPC) is described as one of mobile communication systems for meeting the above-mentioned requirements. EPC is a set of network nodes for 3GPP LTE (Long Term Evolution) system. The EPC evolves the core network of the existing 3GPP system architecture to support Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), which is an evolved RAN, And has an efficient network structure that simplifies the network node.

An example of such a network structure is an LTE network. The LTE network is always on, and always maintains a session in a power-on state of a mobile device. Therefore, charging related nodes, that is, PCRF, OFCS, OCS, etc. in the EPC network always check and manage the charging related state.

For this reason, when the subscriber of the mobile device changes the plan while the power is turned on, there is a problem that collision between the charging nodes occurs.

Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-20007-0079416, Publication Date August 07, 2007 "A billing device using a floating billing system" is a device and method for applying a floating billing system for a user of a mobile communication terminal. Techniques are disclosed.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, by generating and transmitting a message for forcibly disconnecting the subscriber's terminal from the core network and re-connect as the billing information of the subscriber in the mobile communication network changes, The present invention provides a home subscriber management device capable of preventing collisions between billing nodes as well as a billing error and a method of processing a change of a plan using the same.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the home subscriber management apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is a message generating unit for generating a location deletion message for separating the subscriber's terminal from the core network, upon receiving the plan change information of the subscriber; And a message transmitter for transmitting the location deletion message generated by the message generator to a mobility management entity to separate the subscriber terminal from the core network.

In the home subscriber management apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, the location deletion message may include reconnection request information for reconnecting the terminal of the subscriber to the core network.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the plan change processing method using a home subscriber management apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, when receiving the plan change information of the subscriber, the location deletion message for separating the subscriber terminal from the core network; And generating the location deletion message to the mobility management entity in the core network to separate the subscriber terminal from the core network.

In the method of processing a change of plan using a home subscriber management apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, the location deletion message includes reconnection request information for reconnecting to the core network, and the mobility management entity based on the generated location deletion message. And transmitting a separation request message including the reconnection request information to the terminal of the subscriber through the terminal.

According to the present invention, when the rate plan is changed, the terminal of the subscriber is forcibly disconnected from the core network and then reconnected, thereby preventing collisions between billing related devices and preventing billing errors.

1 is a network diagram illustrating an LTE system applied to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a flowchart illustrating an operation process according to a change of plan information according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The advantages and features of the present invention and the manner of achieving them will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the invention to those skilled in the art. Is provided to fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art, and the invention is only defined by the scope of the claims.

In the following description of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear. The following terms are defined in consideration of the functions in the embodiments of the present invention, which may vary depending on the intention of the user, the intention or the custom of the operator. Therefore, the definition should be based on the contents throughout this specification.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described an apparatus and method for processing when the plan information is changed in the LTE network according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 is a diagram illustrating a network configuration applied to an embodiment of the present invention.

The user equipment (UE) 100 communicates with network nodes or other terminals constituting a core network through a radio access network (RAN) such as an Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN). Device for doing this. Such terminals include, but are not limited to, mobile stations (MSs), fixed or mobile subscriber units, cellular telephones, digital personal digital assistants (PDAs), computers, or any other type of user device capable of operating in a wireless environment. It is not limited.

In addition, the terminal 100 includes a processor, a signal generation and processing means, and a transceiver for transmitting and receiving radio signals with a radio access network (RAN). Although not shown in the drawing, the terminal 100 may include a memory for storing user data or a program, a display unit for displaying various information or data of the terminal, a keypad or a touch screen. It may further include a user interface such as). An example of such a terminal 100 may be a mobile terminal connectable to an LTE network.

Meanwhile, a core network includes a plurality of network nodes that constitute a core of a mobile communication system. The core network is, for example, network nodes of a PS communication system such as a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) system, a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), or an Evolved Packet Core (EPC), which is a 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) system. It may be configured as, but is not limited thereto.

In FIG. 1, only the minimum components of the core network required to describe an embodiment of the present invention are disclosed, and the configuration of the core network is not limited to the components disclosed in FIG. 1. In the following, the core network is described in the case of being composed of network nodes of the EPC, but this is merely for convenience of description and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments of the present invention.

Hereinafter, each component in the core network will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 1.

First, the eNodeB 102 is a device supporting next-generation technologies and services such as LTE, such as radio frequency (RF) transmission and reception of signal strength and quality, baseband signal processing, channel card resource management, and the like. A device that performs a function.

The Serving Gateway (S-GW) 108 is a session control and user plane node that processes payload traffic according to a set session, and includes eNodeB 102 and S1. Interwork with U-Interface, support Inter LTE / 3GPP handover, configure packet data network gateway (PDN-GW) 110 and EPS bearer and tunneling PDU (Packet Data Unit) is delivered.

The PDN-GW 110 is a session control and user plane that allocates an IP of the terminal 100 and interworks with an external Internet network and a Non-3GPP network. The PDN-GW 110 provides an S-GW 108 and an external network for packet service. It maintains routing and routing information, and has tunneling and IP routing functions. It also delivers PDUs to the S-GW 108 and external networks.

The mobility management entity (MME) 106 is a node that manages subscriber information and mobility of the terminal 100 and is responsible for session management, idle subscriber management, paging, and subscriber authentication functions. . That is, the mobility management entity 106 processes a control signal when there is a join request or a radio bearer establishment request from the terminal 100 or another network node such as the PDN-GW 110 or the S-GW 108. It is responsible for various functions of a control plane, such as, and performs functions such as setting up EPS bearer or IP tunnel and mobility management.

Home Subscriber Server / Home Location Register (HSS) 104 is a network node that includes a database containing subscriber information for a wireless communication system. Information, authentication and location related data are stored.

When the home subscriber management device 104 according to the embodiment of the present invention receives a message related to the change of the plan information of the terminal 100 through interworking with the subscriber information database 118, the terminal 100 compels the terminal 100 with the core network. After detaching to the mobile station 100, the terminal 100 may provide a mobility location entity (Cancel Location) to connect the new call to the mobility management entity 106.

To this end, the home subscriber management apparatus 104 generates a message deleting unit 104a for generating a location deletion message for separating the subscriber terminal 100 from the core network as the subscriber's plan information is changed in the subscriber information database 118. And a message transmitter 104b for transmitting the location deletion message to the mobility management entity 106 to separate the subscriber terminal 100 from the core network.

The location deletion message generated by the message generator 104a stores deletion type information that can be reattached after the terminal 100 is forcibly separated. The structure thereof is shown in Table 1 below.

The cancellation type information (Cancellation Type) may include reattachment procedure information, that is, request information for allowing the terminal 100 to reconnect to the core network.

When the location deletion message is transmitted to the mobility management entity 106, the terminal 100 may be forcibly disconnected from the core network and then reconnected. In this case, charging devices such as PCRF, OCS, OFCS, etc. The procedure for carrying out the billing can be carried out.

The mobility management entity 106 transmits a disconnect request message requiring reconnection to the terminal 100 by using the reconnection procedure information included in the location deletion message, and the terminal 100 is separated from the core network and then reconnected to the reconnection procedure information. You can reconnect to the core network accordingly.

As described above, when the rate plan is changed, the terminal 100 of the subscriber is forcibly disconnected from the core network and then reconnected to prevent collision between charging related devices as well as to prevent charging error.

Policy & Charging Rule Function (PCR) 112 provides dynamic QoS and charging rules according to service data flow to perform communication policy and charging processing in a communication network.

In addition, the PCRF 112 generates the dynamic QoS and billing rules by reflecting the change of the subscriber's plan information in the subscriber information database 118 and provides it to the PDN-GW 110, and communicates based on the changed plan information. Intra-network communication policy and charging processing can be performed.

Online Charging Server (OCS) 116 receives the billing information of subscribers who need real-time billing information and provides credit management function such as limit service, and EPC-GW provides packet based on charging information provided by OCS. Generate charging information of the packet flow. OFCS (Offline Charging System) 114 collects the billing information generated by the EPC-GW, processes and transmits the billing data required by the billing system (BS). In addition, OFCS 114 provides a unified BS interface by accommodating various billing protocols such as Radius, Diameter, and GTPP.

In addition, the PCRF 112, OFCS 114, and OCS 116 reconnect the terminal 100 by reflecting the changed plan information through interworking with the subscriber information database 118 after the terminal 100 is separated from the core network. You can handle billing for.

2 is a flowchart illustrating a process of changing a plan in an LTE system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, a connection request to a mobility management entity (MME) 106 through the eNodeB 102 due to a power-on of a UE 100 of a radio access network or a change of a base station due to movement. In the case of transmitting an attach message (S200), the user terminal 100 is connected to the core network by accessing the mobility management entity 106 by performing a network connection procedure according to TS 23.401 between the mobility management entities 106. (S202).

Through this network access procedure, the terminal 100 receives a data service by connecting a session through the S-GW 108 and the PDN-GW 110 (S204).

If the plan information change request is received from the user of the terminal 100 while receiving the data service, the subscriber information database 118 is updated based on the plan information requested for the change and a message indicating that the plan of the terminal 100 is changed. To the home subscriber management device 104 (S206).

Accordingly, the message generator 104a of the home subscriber management apparatus 104 generates a location deletion message including reconnection procedure information (S208), and transmits the location deletion message to the mobility management entity 106 using the message transmitter 104b. Transmit (S210).

The mobility management entity 106 transmits a detachment request message in which a reconnection request is set based on the location deletion request message provided from the home subscriber management device 104 (S212), and the terminal 100 transmits a core based on the detachment request message. After disconnecting from the network, a session is connected with the S-GW 108 through a procedure for network reconnection (S214) to receive data service.

Meanwhile, when separated from the core network based on the separation request message of the terminal 100, the charging nodes PCRF 112, OCS 114, and OFCS 116 provide the changed plan information from the subscriber information database 118. The charging policy for the terminal 100 may be changed, and when the terminal 100 is reconnected, charging information may be generated based on the changed charging policy.

According to the method of changing the plan according to the embodiment of the present invention as described above, when the plan is changed, the terminal 100 of the subscriber is forcibly disconnected from the core network and then reconnected to prevent collisions between charging related nodes. Not only that, but it also prevents billing errors.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should not be limited by the described embodiments but should be defined by the appended claims.

The present invention can be used as a technology that can prevent collisions between billing nodes according to the changed plan information even if the user of the terminal using the LTE system changes the plan information.

In addition, the present invention can be used as a technology that can reflect the changed plan information to the billing nodes in real time even if the user of the terminal using the LTE system changes the plan information.

100: user terminal 102: eNodeB
104: home subscriber management device 104a: message generating unit
104b: message transmitter 106: mobility management object
108: S-GW 110: PDN-GW
112: PCRF 114: OCFS
116: OCS 118: Subscriber Information Database

Claims (4)

A message generator for generating a location deletion message for separating the subscriber's terminal from the core network upon receiving the subscriber's plan change information;
And a message transmitter for transmitting the location deletion message generated by the message generator to a mobility management entity to separate the subscriber terminal from the core network.
Home subscriber management device. The method of claim 1,
The location deletion message includes reconnection request information for reconnecting the terminal of the subscriber to the core network.
Home subscriber management device. Generating a location deletion message for separating the subscriber's terminal from the core network upon receiving the subscriber's plan change information;
And transmitting the generated location deletion message to a mobility management entity in the core network to separate the subscriber terminal from the core network.
How to handle change of plan using home subscriber management device. The method of claim 3, wherein
The location delete message
Reconnect request information for reconnecting to the core network,
The plan change processing method,
And transmitting a disconnection request message including the reconnection request information to the terminal of the subscriber through the mobility management entity based on the generated location deletion message.
How to handle change of plan using home subscriber management device.

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